The invention relates to a water-feed configuration for household appliances.
Possible examples of household appliances that can be fed water through such a water-feed configuration are, in particular, dishwashers, washing machines, coffee machines, tea making machines, other drinks machines, e.g., soup machines, and the like.
A water-feed configuration with a safety hose for the water feed into the top housing region of a household machine, e.g. of a washing machine or of a dishwasher, is disclose in German Patent DE 39 17 013 C2. The safety hose includes a water-channeling pressure hose and a jacket hose that encloses the pressure hose at a radial distance therefrom. A leakage-water channel is formed in the process. The pressure hose is connected to a water faucet through a valve. The jacket hose is connected to a housing that encloses the valve with hermetically sealing action. By virtue of a monitoring configuration in the household machine, the valve is automatically closed when leakage water appears.
The prior art household appliances usually only have one water connection or water inlet, which can be connected to a cold-water-supply line by the water-feed configuration.
In household appliances that require clean water, much of the electrical energy of the appliances is required for heating the cold water.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a water-feed configuration for household appliances that overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type and that provides a straightforward and inexpensive possible way of reducing the electrical energy required by household appliances.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a water-feed configuration for a household appliance having a water inlet including a branching section having two water inlets and a single water outlet to be connected to a water inlet of a household appliance, and two water-feed hoses each having an upstream end to be connected to a separate water-supply line and a downstream end connected to a respective one of the two water inlets, the downstream end fluidically connected to the single water outlet through the branching section.
The configuration results, in particular, in the following possibilities and advantages: hot water required by the household appliance can be taken from a hot-water-supply line, of which a household heating system heats the water. Such heating is considerably less expensive than heating up cold water by an electric heating device in the household appliance. As a result, electrical energy is saved. It is, of course, possible for the already hot water to be additionally heated by an electric heating device in the household appliance. The feed configuration of the invention has a straightforward construction and requires only a small number of parts. Thus, it is also inexpensive. A further advantage of the invention is that, rather than requiring two water inlets, one for cold water and one for hot water, the household appliance only requires one water inlet. Further, when use is made of a safety hose, rather than two safety configurations against leakage water being necessary, only a single sensor configuration and a single control configuration for switching off the water feed to the two water-feed hoses in the case of water leakage are necessary.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the household appliance has a controller, each separate water-supply line has an outlet, a valve configuration is connected between the upstream end of each of the two water-feed hoses and the outlet of each separate water-supply line, and the valve configuration automatically selectively closes and opens a water feed into the upstream ends of the two water-feed hoses dependent upon signals from the controller.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the valve configuration includes a first valve and a second valve. The first valve is connected to the upstream end of a first of the two water-feed hoses. The second valve is connected to the upstream end of a second of the two water-feed hoses. The first and second valves are to be controlled by the controller. The first and second valves selectively open and close a respective water feed dependent upon signals from the controller.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, there is provided a third water-feed hose having an upstream end and a downstream end. The water outlet of the branching section is connected to the upstream end of the third water-feed hose, and the downstream end of the third water-feed hose is connected to the water inlet of the household appliance.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the two water-feed hoses are safety hoses each having a radial inner pressure hose for channeling water and a jacket hose enclosing the pressure hose at a radial distance from the pressure hose to form a leakage-water channel between the jacket hose and the pressure hose.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the two water-feed hoses and the third water-feed hose are safety hoses each having a radial inner pressure hose for channeling water and a jacket hose enclosing the pressure hose at a radial distance from the pressure hose to form a leakage-water channel between the jacket hose and the pressure hose.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the branching section has a pressure-water channel and a leakage-water channel, the pressure hose of the third water-feed hose is fluidically connected to the pressure hose of the two water-feed hoses through the pressure-water channel of the branching section, and the leakage-water channel of the third water-feed hose is fluidically connected to the leakage-water channels of the two water-feed hoses through the leakage-water channel of the branching section.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, at least one of the two water-feed hoses forms a watertight plug-in connection with the branching section.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, at least one of the two water-feed hoses forms a watertight plug-in connection with at least one of one of the two water inlets of the branching section.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, at least one of the two water-feed hoses and the third water-feed hose forms a watertight plug-in connection with the branching section.
In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, the upstream end of a first of the two water-feed hoses is to be connected to a cold-water-supply line and the upstream end of a second of the two water-feed hoses is to be connected to a hot-water-supply line.
In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the water-feed configuration is for a household washing machine, a dishwasher, a coffee or tea-making machine, and a soup machine.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a water-feed configuration for connecting a water inlet of a household appliance to cold and hot water supply lines including a branching section having two water inlets, a single water outlet, a pressure-water channel, and a leakage-water channel, two input water-feed safety hoses each having an upstream end to be connected to a separate one of a cold-water-supply line and a hot-water-supply line, a radial inner pressure hose for channeling water from a respective one of the cold-water-supply line and the hot-water-supply line to the pressure-water channel, the radial inner pressure hose fluidically connected to the pressure-water channel, a jacket hose enclosing the pressure hose at a radial distance from the pressure hose to form a hose leakage-water channel between the jacket hose and the pressure hose, the hose leakage-water channel fluidically connected to the leakage-water channel, and a downstream end connected to a respective one of the two water inlets, a third water-feed safety hose having an upstream end connected to the water outlet of the branching section, a radial third inner pressure hose for channeling water, the third inner pressure hose fluidically connected to the pressure-water channel of the branching section, a third jacket hose enclosing the third inner pressure hose at a radial distance from the third inner pressure hose to form a third leakage-water channel between the third jacket hose and the third inner pressure hose, the third leakage-water channel fluidically connected to the leakage-water channel of the branching section, and a downstream end to be connected to a water inlet of a household appliance.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a water-feed configuration for household appliances, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.